DIY Distressed Wood Photo Backdrop

April 28, 2011 —by Lindsay

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I love using texture in my photos. Whether it be a rough burlap fabric or a distressed piece of wood, it adds so much depth and character to an image. And for those of us who aren’t blessed with a beautiful rustic wood tabletop, we have to resort to drastic measures.

Or not so drastic ones.

My first attempt at a distressed wood background involved getting a long piece of beadboard cut into 2′ lengths, gluing them together, and then painting it white. It worked, but I didn’t love the double grooves of the beadboard. They were too strong and took away focus from the subject. I wanted something a bit more subtle.

On our next trip to the home improvement store, I scoped out some better materials. Lucky for us we went to a different store than our regular one, and there I found some “Pine Board Scants” or “Craft Boards” (signs were conflicting – I don’t know what they were actually called). Basically, it is a 3 1/2″ wide board like normal lumber, but it is only 1/4″ thick. And since my puny little arms are going to have to lift this thing on a regular basis, thinner boards were exactly what I was looking for. They had a variety of different widths, so you could get wider or thinner boards based on your preference. I found these particular boards at Lowes. Home Depot (at least the one we usually go to) didn’t have anything comparable.

This same process can definitely be done with standard 3/4″ thick wood, but your final product will be a lot more bulky, especially if you do the double layer for a reversible background.

For this specific background you will need twelve 3.5″ wide, 2′ long boards, plus two 2.5″ wide boards to make a perfect square. Arrange half of the boards in one direction, and tape in place. I wanted a very small but still distinguishable gap between the boards, the tape helped keep it in place while I glued.

Next, lay the other half of the boards in the opposite direction, gluing in place with wood glue, carefully positioning boards so the gaps are to your liking. Careful not to put too much glue, you don’t want it to ooze through the gabs (or, er, glue it to your floor…)

When the boards are glued in place, put a flat, heavy weight (like an upside down coffee table or a whole lot of books) on top and let dry overnight. You could also use wood clamps if you have them, but basically you just want something that will hold the pieces firmly together until the glue is dry.

Now it’s ready to paint!

For my paint, I simply picked up a few sample containers of paint. $2/a piece, and more than enough paint to cover my little 2×2′ background. One sort of a medium greenish brown color (called Truffle), white, and then two shades of turquoise. My plan was to make use of both sides of the board, have one painted basic white, and the other a pretty bright turquoise.

I wanted the wood to look old, not new. Old wood is dark, and I wanted some of that darkness to show through.

Start by watering down your brown paint. I used probably 50/50 water to paint. But I suggest (and this is what I did) testing your finishes first. I started with the end board, since I knew it wouldn’t show too much in the photographs, and then when I was happy with that finish I repeated the same process for the rest of the board.

Water down your paint, and then brush a coat onto each board, one a time. You want full coverage with this layer. Then take a cloth or paper towel and, while the paint is still wet, wipe it off. This will make the paint act more like a stain than a paint. You can see that the overall color is darker, but the wood grain still shows through. Let this layer dry completely before continuing (or if you’re impatient like me, grab the hair dryer).

Next, time for color. I decided to use two shades of turquoise for added depth. I started with the darker one. Using a fairly dry brush, lightly brush on the color. You don’t want a ton of paint on your brush; spotty coverage and missed spots are good. Brush strokes are good. Rough is good. Move quickly, and don’t overthink it. You can always add more paint, but you can’t take it off. Again, let this layer dry completely.

You can then add the second shade if you have one. I used a lighter turquoise, and you can see the difference between the 1st coat and the second. Similar technique, again, you don’t want a solid coat, you want some of that dark brown wood and the darker turquoise underneath to show through.

When all was done and dry, my board had a bit too much sheen to it (samples only came in satin, not eggshell or flat). Easy fix, I just took some fine grain sandpaper to it to dull and further roughen the finish. You can see the final result in the kumquat picture above.

Initially, the plan was to repeat the same process on the back but paint it white. But I was kind of digging the dark stain all by itself, and decided to leave it that way… at least for now. Who knows, I may come back later and continue with the white. Or I may just make a second one altogether.

And there you have it! For about $40, you have a portable, reversible wood backdrop for your photos! Spiffy!

(On a related note, for those of you interested in food photography, you must must MUST check out the new book, Plate to Pixel, by Helene Dujardin of Tartelette. I was lucky enough to meet Helene last month in Orlando, and she is as lovely in person as she seems on her blog. Plate to Pixel is full of uber-helpful information, whether you are just starting out with food photography or already comfortable behind the lens. Do it!)

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You were already my hero because of all the design work you’ve done for me Lindsay but now you are even more of one! I am obsessed with “making” different wood photo backdrops- I spend way too much time at Lowes and my collection of planks with different stains and such is growing…but this distressing thing is something I’ve tried but without success so far. I am totally trying your method this weekend. THANK YOU!

We build stuff all the time at my house, so why this has never occurred to me is, well, beyond me. I have tons of left over bead board and other wood scraps, so I’m going to make several of these. Right now, my food pictures are more lame documentation rather than prettiness. I think this is a step in the right direction! Thanks!

Thanks for the tutorial! I’ve been wanting to make something like this for a long time, but other tutorials I read seemed too complicated or expensive. Your way sounds super easy! I’m going to head to Lowes tomorrow so I can do this over the weekend.

Lindsay,
Wow! You have hit the nail on the head (sorry, I had to) with this one! Awesome info. I think meeting Helene rubbed off a little bit on all of us at FBF. Thanks for this timely (for me anyway) post. Kumquats never looked so good. Thank you.

Thanks so much for this lesson. I don’t have enough backdrops and my kitchen table / counter gets kind of boring. The trickiest thing is figuring out where to store all these things! But I love that this isn’t too bulky. I bet I could slide it in somewhere.

I’m thinking about your storage challenge. How about those tall skinny shelves that display library books? You could turn the display/storage into a patchwork quilt like collection of your wood squares, a new kind of art ????

I love it! I live in a small apartment and I have been trying to figure out how to get a nice background for when I take pictures of my final product, I never thought I would be able to make it! It is small enough that I can find a nook somewhere to keep it, like under the couch (you get creative when you don’t have a lot of space)! Thank you so much for this awesome idea!

How wonderful, Lindsey! I picked up a couple of pieces of square plywood from my dad’s wood-working studio recently but I’ve not taken the time to figure out how to paint and distress them. Your post came at the perfect time. I love the color of the distressed turquoise wood. It’s lovely – and so is the kumquat photo!

What an awesome idea! I’ve been using plain wooden cutting boards from Ikea whenever I wanted a wood backdrop, but I didn’t want to stain or distress them because they’re actually used as cutting boards the rest of the time.
I figured I’d start scrounging around in secondhand and antique stores, but this sounds a lot easier (plus I can pick my own colours). I’ll be rushing to Home Depot this weekend to grab some boards!
Love that shade of aqua blue, BTW. It’s just gorgeous.

I found this via David Lebovitz on fb- just in the nick of time. I’m a potter and my blue linen backdrop has suffered the ill effects of living in my deep south (read: humid) basement for the past four years. Time for a replacement. Now I know just what to do, and have the scrap wood to do it. Thank you!

Love the turquoise color you used… so pretty! Can you believe that the post office LOST my Plate to pixel book?!?!? I’m soooo mad at them! I been waiting for it for so long.. and was so happy when amazon send me a note that it was AHEAD of schedule.. not I have to wait for it again!

Love this idea! I have one little tip though, if you truly want to make something like this seem ‘old’ – sand it before you paint it. The chatter marks from the milling process (the tiny grooves that run across each board) make it obvious that it’s new to those in the know. :)

I got so excited when I saw this post! I went to lowes today and got the boards. They are called “craft boards” and cone in a few different kinds of wood, but I liked the grain on the pine the best. The glue is drying on the boards as i type this!

For a total beginner like me, this post is incredibly useful! I often feel like there’s so much mystique around food photography techniques – almost as if no one wants to give away their secrets. Thanks for making your gorgeous photography accessible to a newbie like me!

Thank you for this tutorial … I was desperate, reading here and there that you could not achieve such a look on pine wood. You save me !
I received my copy of “plate to pixel” only two days ago and I think it’s an awesome book !

Brilliant! I love this idea. I’m definitely going to do it myself! Someone also gave me a great idea for backgrounds– get some fabric you like and stretch it across white foam core. You can just tape it with packing tape to the back. Bingo! Lightweight patterned background!

Hello,
Starting on this project, and I found wood flooring that was about 3ft and 1/4 thick that has those lines, but also grooves so it clicks together. About $11 for a pack and all you have to do is use the wood glue in the grove. You don’t have glue another set on top of it! Woo hoo, even thinner, cheaper and more portable. Triple score. Thanks for this great post.

Do you have any suggestions on how to do this similar treatment, but on a piece that already has a finish on it? I want to do this to my shelves I picked up at Goodwill, but they already have a finish on them. Is there a way to do it short of sanding the whole thing down?

I took this tutorial, made a red one and used it for my photos, THEN we were setting the table for Thanksgiving and my friend saw it and grabbed it for the base under the certerpiece. I LOVE it, I’m making more. Thank you

I have been driving DH nuts about how to figure this one out! ANd your post came just in time..I am sick of my counter top and I ve been drooling at rustic wooden tables particularly in the color you`ve showcased.. COuld you please add the name/number of the paints that u bot from Lowes. We have never painted and I need to start from scratch. IAlso what is that glue?
Thanks

This is great content. I struggle with food photography and just recently realized I need to make it easier for myself and get some props and backgrounds done and ready to go when I am ready to take photos. This will save me a lot of time. Thanks for sharing.

I love that you made it reversible! What a clever idea! I just made my first wooden backdrop to add texture to my photos… Here is my step by step picture tutorial: http://www.recipris.com/2014/01/01/diy-white-wood-photo-backdrop/

I’m definitely going to try making another one though… I really like the simple stained board you created on the other side of the blue! Looks just like a picnic table :)

I am so glad I found this post. I used your tutorial as the guide for making my own food photography board. I did dark wood as one side and grey as the other. I love how they turned out. Now, I am about to rip apart free pallets and make some boards out of those. Thank you so much for sharing this.

I have been looking for a technique like this on youtube for a while and I ran across yours by accident. I bought the same the exact same board at Lowes and my finished product was awesome. I am using the board on one wall of a beach cottage and I know it is going to look amazing. wish I could add a photo to show you how good my results were. thanks again.

Thank you! (Great big sigh of relief!) After not being able to find a good resource for wood background props I decided to DIY it
and so glad I found your post! This is exactly what I needed. Your board came out great.

Just wanted to let you know that I’ve had my eye on this tutorial for ages, but I finally pulled the trigger on it this weekend! I just started my own blog after dabbling in food photography for a while and I needed some more inspiration for photos. I made 2 double sided boards, so now I’ve got brown, white, blue, and red to choose from. Thanks for the great instructions!

Thank you for this tutorial!! I will definately use it! I just have one question. Can I place some fruits (or other food) on the board as I suppose these colors are toxic? Or did you use a special non-toxic ones?

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Welcome to Love & Olive Oil, the culinary adventures of Lindsay and Taylor. We're all about food that is approachable but still impressive, unique and creative yet still true to its culinary roots. (More...)